Traveling Hearts
by NejiHina100
Summary: Bae and Belle do not arrive in FTL with the others. Instead, fate is sending them to Manhattan. Looks like a bonding trip is in order. This is NOT a Bae/Belle fic. Merely family and friendship. Rumbelle, Swanfire.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing :(

Alright, so I have had a couple of plot bunnies in my head for the last few weeks about Belle and Bae bonding. This starts after they watch Rumple die but it is another AU. The twist to the story is that they will be not be taken back to the Enchanted Forest. I really want the story to be focused on Belle and Bae more than anyone else. However, Emma and Henry will show up but that will be later in the story. Belle and Bae need their life changing adventure together first, lol. Here it goes.

* * *

It happened fast but lasted forever. There he was standing in front of Pan with his dagger pierced through them both when the bright light shined, blocking Rumple and Pan from their vision. All they could wonder was where they were. They had deeply hoped that they would see him standing there with the dagger in his hand and a look of victory on his face with no sign of the demonized kid. It took only seconds and would never end, and that hope lingered in their hearts to a point of teasing that would never let up. They looked on and waited only to find no one behind the light. The sound of metal from some object echoed in their ears but it wasn't the dagger. They looked on to see a vast emptiness laid before them.

Gone.

It seemed that it was the only word they could use. Gone.

He was gone. The all powerful sorcerer defeated. Gone. He watched Emma and Henry drive over the line. Gone. The foreign world and town they had spent 28 frozen years in. Gone.

Gone.

They were told that all those who were born in the forest of tales would be taken back. For the future of one boy, the woman who restored their future was to leave them all. Gone.

The magic of Pan and Regina's magic collided as the smoke merged the purple and green. Feet were planted on the ground, waiting. Ears stuffed with cotton of anticipation and bodies being jerked forward towards somewhere. Purple and green turned to black. They waited forever for the light to come but the darkness didn't last long.

Rumple was gone. Emma and Henry were gone. Her eyes opened to see the ceiling fan turn round and round. Her name called out from another room. She knew it wasn't Rumple. Not entirely. He was much like him. Same deep dark brown eyes with features that would represent Rumple in his youth. She couldn't think of his name. Two swirled in her mind and she decided on the name she was given.

"Bae."

"Belle. Are you okay?" He came from the other room to kneel down by the bed she laid in. Helping her up and balance herself from the magic, he lead her into the living room. Letting the sun shine through the window to give her warmth the bedroom did not provide.

This was not the Enchanted Forest.

"Where are we? I expected trees and ogres." Belle said, still groggy from the magic. The magic or sleep. She couldn't tell.

"No, it's not the Forest. It's my apartment back in Manhattan."

"Manhattan?"

"Yeah. Don't ask me why we are here. I'm not sure. But we do have a very big problem."

She knew her problem. He was gone. The image of him in bright light was frozen in her mind. Just as he was frozen in the light from being there and being gone.

"What is it?"

"We are the only ones here."

Gone.

"I don't know how I know but I just do. None of the others that was behind the line is here. Only you and me."

Gone.

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**Please review and let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing :(

* * *

"Manhattan?"

"Yeah."

"How are we the only ones here. Why were we sent here?" Belle asked, near to be frantic. Not only was Rumple gone, but so was everyone else. Ruby, Granny, Leroy or Grumpy as she knew him, everyone. Despite that her lover's son was standing next to her, she felt alone. Wether gravity or pain brought her knees to kiss the floor, she wasn't sure. Gone.

"We'll find a way Belle. We'll figure out how to get back to the Enchanted Forest. And then,"

He didn't finish. He didn't need to. She knew what he meant. She knew that when, if, they got back home, wherever home was at the time, they would find a way to bring him back. It was as if it was an unspoken agreement with each other. She didn't know him. She knew him and who he was, his name, his relation, but she didn't know him. They shared but one thing and that one thing was gone.

"How?" Belle asked.

"Which 'how' do you mean?"

"How _do_ we get back home?"

He was quiet for what might have been forever. The ticking of the clock and the silence that hovered in the room gave that illusion.

"Emma."

She then remembered. She remembered seeing the blonde haired sheriff and her son cross the town line in the beat up yellow bug. She found it ironic. She herself had crossed that same line, if by different means, and it had stolen her memories. Now it took the sheriff's and the young boy's memories of everyone that loved them. Of their home, family, and friends. Belle wished that the accursed town line took her memories as well.

"Emma is here. In this same land. We can find her."

"Didn't Regina give her different memories. Ones that didn't involve..." She couldn't even bring herself to mention the name of the town.

"Yeah but we'll find a way to bring them back. We have to."

He helped lift her up off the floor and led her to the kitchen. He looked through the fridge and cupboards to find nothing. Nothing that was able to be eaten. The food that was left when he headed to Storybrooke with his father and Emma was stale, browned, or rotten.

"Looks like we need to head somewhere to eat. There's a Wendy's across the road. There we can come up with a plan."

"Sounds fine."

* * *

Belle bit into her burger. It wasn't Granny's but it was food and it helped keep her mind off of him.

"How do you plan to get Emma to remember?" She asked Bae. With her burger now finished, sitting in awkward silence with nothing to do allowed for the images to flood back.

"Not sure really."

"True Love's Kiss might help."

Bae looked up from his frosty and eyed Belle. A smirk escaped him before he could hold it back. He wasn't sure if she was teasing him or if she was serious. Which ever it was, there was some truth behind it.

"Maybe. I don't know. I never thought we were True Loves."

"You loved her, didn't you?"

"Yeah but I don't think she loves me anymore."

Bae was glad that they were surprisingly the only two in the restaurant, so talking about 'true love', Storybrooke, and other topics on the same matter was fine. They didn't have to worry about someone overhearing and start to ask questions. However, on their walk here Bae had mentioned to Belle in a hushed voice that the words 'magic' and 'Enchanted Forest' should definitely be kept quiet, even among them. Unless they were certain they were alone, as in the apartment or other absolute solitary place, they agreed to call magic as the 'm-word' and the Enchanted Forest as 'the woods'. Despite them being the only two customers, they couldn't risk the workers hearing.

"You said 'loves'." Belle said, pulling Bae from his deep thoughts.

"What?"

"You said 'loves'. That implies that she loved you once."

"She did. Or she said she did. When she found out the truth of why I left, I could see that what ever love she might have held for me was gone." Bae said.

"It doesn't matter. When you love someone truly and with all your heart, that never goes away. No matter what has happened in the past, when loved touches you, it stays there forever." Belle explained.

"So you're saying that she might still love me enough for True Love's kiss to work?"

"I don't know if it will or not. You'll have to try. What I'm saying is that no matter what you did to her, if she loved you once, she could never hate you."

"Yeah well that doesn't mean she loves me." Bae got up to throw their food away and returned to the table to find Belle playing with some bracelet on her wrist. He was tempted to ask her his questions for her but knew that it wasn't right. He might have lost a father, but she lost her...well, he wasn't sure what they were. If they were only lovers, if they were dating, or perhaps that they themselves were True Loves. Shaking his head to bring reality back, they headed out the restaurant and started walking.

"Where do you think Emma would be?"

"Not really sure. We're in Manhattan and Maine isn't that far away. Obviously we got here before they did but they might mostly be headed here, to New York."

"So do we wait for them?" Belle asked.

"Actually I was thinking we would call." He smiled. He led them to a phone booth and pulled out some coins. Pushing them in the slot he called the operator and asked for a Emma Swan. Belle waited for him to talk, or to hear anything on the other line but after five rings, she wondered if anything would happen. Then something did.

"Emma!" Neal cried out in joy. "Emma, you have to listen to me-it's Neal-" A second of silence and a look of distraught. Belle watched Neal and realized that Emma had hung up on him.

"Great. She hung up on me." He hung the phone up with a slam and leaned back on the glass wall of the phone booth they occupied. "Not really surprised actually."

All Belle wanted to do at the moment was cry. Cry, give Bae some reassurance, run to find Rumple, fall to her knees again and beg for the pain to end, just as she did when he disappeared in the never ending light. All this at once and more. She wasn't sure she could take it. Belle always pride herself in her self control. Her ability to keep calm when the situation called for panic. Now, with Rumple gone, her in a unfamiliar town with a man she barely knows, it was too much. She was ready to cry but before that she had to run. So she ran.

Pushing the phone booth's door open she allowed her legs to do what they had been begging for. Before she could fully realize what she was doing, she was running down the street, through a crowd of faces she never seen before, letting the wind carry her broken and shattered heart to wherever might bring peace, and Bae calling her name.

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**Let me know what you think :) Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing :(

* * *

A lot had happened in the last few short hours but there were two things Bae was certain of. One, he couldn't fathom where Belle would go in a town that was utterly new to her and two, how she could run in those heels. The latter didn't matter but the first question had him very worried. So worried that his legs were using all their strength to keep up with her. Another thing he couldn't understand, how she was so fast in those heels, but than he figured that deep pain, sorrow, and lost would give anyone a major adrenaline rush. He followed her through the crowd, not minding who he pushed, and into a park. He felt a rush of relief wash over him as he saw her lean against a tree and slide to the ground, burying her head into her hands.

He watched her from a far for a few moments, thinking she needed some time before he gathered the courage to walk over to her and sit next to his father's lover.

"Belle?" He asked in a hushed voice, not wanting to startle her in her fragile state.

"I'm sorry," She said, wiping her tears with her sleeve. She hadn't realized when they started falling but neither did she care. "I didn't mean to run. I know I shouldn't have. I don't know what came over-"

"Belle." He said a littler louder, grabbing her attention. Bae was searching his mind for the right words but as any man, he wasn't good with the emotional stuff, especially to a woman he barely knew. He figured he would go into the only thing they had in common.

"I can't imagine how you feel," He had meant it. He might have lost a father but this woman had lost a lover and possibly more. "and I can't say the pain will get better because it probably wont, but-"

He released a heavy sigh, not sure where to continue. They sat in a silent for what have been a few mere seconds but they each last as long as a minute, time seemed to be going on like that for them.

"You're not alone. I won't let you be." The last words escaped his lips before his mind thought of them and what shocked him was that he was right. He couldn't leave her. Wether by common grief or some unspoken obligation to his father, he had to help this woman and stay with her.

"What?" She asked, her confusion barely visible through her tears.

"I know I barely know you. I actually only know like two things about you and that's that your name is Belle and you love my dad. I can't take back what happened and I wish I could, but right now, if things are going to get better, we have to try and find Emma."

Belle understood. If there was any hope of going back home, it was the Savior. However, she wasn't sure if she did want to go back home. What did she have there? Nothing but a empty dark castle filled with memories of lost love and a father who wouldn't except her and the man she loved. No, love. She would always love him, even in death. That was how it went when you loved someone deeply and truly and she knew that even death could never conquer over True Love.

"I know. I'm sorry." She said.

"Don't be."

They sat on the floor for a few minutes, neither having the strength to stand and leave. All their strength was drained from the recent events and the run Belle had unintentionally gave them.

"By the way, when did you learn how to run in heels?" Bae teased, hoping to lighten the mood and make her smile. It worked.

"Every girl knows how to Bae." She laughed. They laughed. They smiled. For one moment, they forgot.

* * *

Hours passed with them sitting by the tree in common silence, neither knowing what to say. Despite how awkward they should have been, they were both at peace and both content. It didn't take long for the sun to start setting and although they did not have a watch, Bae could easily tell that it was almost five in the evening, a trait he picked up from Neverland. They eventually gathered the strength and stood up.

"We need to go."

"Go? Go where? I thought we were for Emma?"

"Yeah, well she's not really in the mood to talk to me, not that I blame her. So instead, we are going to someone who I know can help us." Bae said as they starting heading into town again.

"So, where are we going?" Belle asked.

"First, we need to rent a car. Then, we are headed to New York."

"Wait, I thought we already were in New York?"

"We are, the stated. We need to go to the city New York." Bae looked at Belle and noticed her confusion. He quickly realized that the only town she had ever been in was Storybrooke and probably didn't have enough time to learn all of the United States layout, especially with all the villains that had been terrorizing the small town of Maine. "There's a city called New York too, in New York. New York, New York." He explained with a smile.

Deciding to ignore the jest, Belle asked her lover's son who in New York they were looking for.

"He's an old friend and he kinda knows of our secret."

"What?!"

"Don't worry. I trust him. He's been my friend for a long time. Besides, since Emma won't talk to me, he's the only help we have."

It didn't take long to find a rent-a-car center once they headed more into the town and with the bank account that Bae had while he was still living in the Land Without Magic, they were able to rent a small Toyota for the travel. Before long, they were headed to New York.

* * *

Back in Manhattan, two men stood in the living room of Neal's apartment. They were dressed as ordinary men and appeared to be in their late twenties. One had just returned from the bedroom while the other was scanning the bookshelf.

"They just missed them. I can still smell their scent." Said one.

"I know." Said the other.

"Where do you think they went?"

"Not sure but we'll find them." He stepped away from the bookshelf and walked to the coffee table. Picking up the letters that were scattered on them, he happened to notice a peculiar letter sticking out from the bottom of the pile. It was easily noticeable from the rest of the clean and crisp letters considering this one seemed to have been through hell to arrive at its destination. Using his nail, the man opened the letter and began reading.

"What is it?" Asked the other man.

"Well, this is interesting."

"What is it?!"

"We're headed to New York." The first one said, a smile that could match a demons crept on his face.

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**Yay! Road trip! Who doesn't love those? I can't wait for their stepmother/stepson bond to grow :) It's going to be sweet. Here's what you need to know for the next chapter. The old friend isn't August, it will be a while before Emma and Henry show up, and yes, the two men at the end are looking for Bae and Belle. Let me know what you think. Please review. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing :(

* * *

One exit.

Two exit.

Bae was counting and wondering when Belle would need to stop for a breather but to his surprise, she seemed to be holding up well. From what he knew of her, he knew she was strong and would always hold up a brave face but seeing her break down by that tree earlier made him wonder, how much energy was she using to keep that brave face.

It had only been about forty-five minutes since they began the trip but just as the time has been ever since they arrived in Manhattan, it took a few years before the first hour came by. They sat in silence and listened to some radio station, both in their own mind and not paying attention to the song. Three more songs went by before Bae couldn't hold back the curiosity and asked Belle if she was awake. She had been leaning her head against the window for the last few minutes but her breathing didn't indicate to Bae that she was asleep.

"Yeah, I'm awake."

"I was just wondering if I could ask you a question?"

She lifted her head and looked at Bae as he drove pass another exit. "What is it?"

"How did it happen?"

"What do you mean?"

"You and dad."

He didn't have to say anything else, she knew what he meant. How did her and his dad fall in love. She really wasn't even shocked to hear him ask and had been wondering if he would get the nerve to ask or if he was even curious. Before she could begin with an explanation he mentioned that she didn't have to tell him, that it wasn't even important. It was. No one understood. No one, not her father, nor her friend Ruby, and sometimes not even herself. It was important that someone understood, that someone knew the whole story. Perhaps it was the grief of lost or some other explanation but she felt that Bae, Baelfire, Neal, whatever his name was now, should be the person to know. The person to hear the whole story. The thought seemed to fit perfectly and she didn't think she would want it any other way.

"A deal. That's what it started with." She said.

"It seems that everything that involves my father starts with a deal." Bae responded. Belle wasn't sure if he was making a quip but she doubted it, his voice was filled with slight sarcasm. She knew that Bae was a great guy but she often disliked how he could only focus on the bad part of his and his father's past together, as if he forgot all the good times. She couldn't really blame him but she thought that he wasn't really trying to remember and that was what bothered her about Bae.

"Yeah. Avonlea was just another small kingdom that was being destroyed by the ogres. We couldn't stop them. No one could. So father called upon some help."

"Papa."

"Yes. He sent the Dark One a promise of gold in return for help but he said that since he could make gold, he required something of more value." Belle said. She continued to look out the window and watched the trees in a blur of green.

"He wanted you?" Bae asked.

"Yes."

"So happened?"

Belle turned and stared at the man. She was wondering if it was genuine curiosity to which he was asking from and decided she should find out. She made a test.

"Tell you what. I will tell you the story of me and your father, but only in bits."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's make our own deal." She smiled. He smiled back.

"Alright. What kind of deal?"

"I will tell you our story if you tell me a little more about your past with him."

Bae remained silent and she could see his jaw tighten, realizing that he was trapped. To his surprise, he _was_ curious to know the story but he wasn't really ready to tell his own with his father.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine." Belle continued to stare out the window. The rest of the two hours of the drive were meet with silence. It seemed to them both that it was the best way they could communicate and they were okay with that.

* * *

Once they arrived in New York, the ride in the cab they grabbed was met with two familiar visitors. The more they followed, the more the two wished they could run, but they questioned how you could run from time and silence. They were like shadows attached to their common pain and grief and only detachable with the Dark One's return. The real question was not when but how. How they were to bring him back was unknown but they didn't care. Despite their differences, they had one goal and if time and silence was to follow them, so be it.

"Is this it?" Belle asked. They stood in front of what seemed to be a decent apartment. Although she never stepped outside of Storybrooke with her memories in tact and travel the world, she was able to learn about it through books and the internet, a whole another world Ruby showed her. If she had to guess, she would guess that the apartment her and Bae stood in front of was around middle class.

"Yep."

"So do we walk up?"

"No." Bae responded. "We walk down." He didn't give her enough time to ask what he meant or to even give him a look of confusion, he began walking not towards but pass the apartment. She quickly followed.

When they entered the alleyway he had told her to stay close to him. After passing a dumpster and a few lumps of cloth on the ground, they came to a metal door on the side of a brick wall. Bae knocked on the door and almost within seconds the door was opened. However, it was only opened to a peek. Belle couldn't see anything but she heard a man's voice.

"What? What do you want?" The man said.

"Open up and let me in. It's me, Bae."

"Prove it." Belle wasn't sure if the man was extremely paranoid or just thorough with his guests.

"I don't have time for this. Open up or I'll barge my way through." Bae responded.

"You wearing a wire?" Paranoid. Extremely paranoid.

"Open. Up." Bae said with a harsher voice.

"She with you?" Bae looked at Belle and back at the door. Although she couldn't see the other man, she could feel his eyes scanning her and determining if she was some terrorist.

"She's with me, isn't she?"

Much to her surprise, the door opened but only slightly wider. Enough for Bae to enter and for her to follow. She didn't get far when Bae stopped in front of her and grabbed her wrist.

"Hold on to me so you don't fall. We have to walk down stairs and it's impossible to see them." Bae warned her.

She was more than glad that he took her wrist to help guide her. The few light bulbs that shined above them were barely dim and the steps really were impossible to see. She was certain that if Bae wasn't guiding her, she would have fallen down and twisted something. Once they reached the bottom, she was able to get a better look. Inside it was easy to tell that the man practically lived in this home, or whatever it was.

"Ricky, this is Belle. Belle, Ricky."

"Nice to meet you Belle and not nice to see you Bae." Ricky gave a quick nod to Belle and bypassed Bae towards his computer. From the looks of all the wires and technology, Belle was wondering if Ricky was planning for invaders, spies, or wars.

"Come on Rick. I need your help." Bae pleaded.

"No. Last time I helped you I had to hide in this shit hole, sorry for my language," He mentioned to Belle. "I can't even leave to get a pizza." He cried.

"How is that my fault? You're the one who got all scared and freaked out."

"Because of you."

"Sorry but I'm not taking the blame for that."

"Yeah whatever. What are you doing here anyways?" Ricky asked, clearly not happy with Bae's sudden appearance.

"I need your help."

"How?"

"To get my father back."

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**Okay, I'm leaving it there for this chapter. Please review :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing :(

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"So your father die by killing himself along with his own father. And instead of heading back to the Enchanted Forest, you two ended up in Manhattan in your apartment. So you came here to help me send you back. Does that about sum it up?" Ricky said watching Bae.

"Yep." Neal replied. The three of them was sitting at Ricky's dining table and had spent the last half hour explaining to Ricky of what has happened in the last few days.

"Nope."

"No?"

"Can't." Ricky got up and headed across the room.

"Can't? What the hell do you mean you can't?" Neal yelled following Ricky.

"I can't get you back home. I'm sorry."

"Why not?! I cam to you cause I knew you could help me and now you're tell-"

"Would you just listen to me!" Ricky yelled. "I can't get you back home but I can do better."

"What do you mean?" Belle asked.

"I can send you back in time and stop the past."

Bae and Belle looked at each other and back at Ricky who had a proud smile on his face.

"Who's Ricky?" The first one asked.

"Apparently an old friend of Neal Cassidy's." Said the other. "He also knows about Baelfire."

"But they are the same."

"That's the point idiot."

The two men who had arrived at Neal's apartment previously had taken a car and headed to New York in search of Baelfire and Belle. The older one, Santo, was in the passenger's seat while his brother drove. He was re-reading the letter he found in the apartment for the last hour. Aaron looked towards his brother and notice the glint in his eyes.

"What are you thinking?" Aaron asked.

"Just how enjoyable it's going to be to kill her." He smiled.

* * *

Ricky was searching through his closet, throwing things out without any care. Bae and Belle was standing on the other end of the apartment hoping to get out of range of Ricky's reckless behavior. Just when they thought he emptied the closet, he threw even more junk out.

"Here it is!" Ricky exclaimed. He turned around and they saw him holding a black and silver gyroscope.

"What's that?" Bae asked.

"This, my friend, is what's going to get you two back to the past."

"How? I thought time travel was impossible?" Belle asked. "I've read many books about it and no one has managed to succeed."

"Yes, well, I like to keep it that way." He smiled.

"How is that going to send us back in time?"

"First, you need to head to Storybrooke. It can only work if you are in the same destination of the past you want to change. This will send you too back and then it's up to you."

"Fine. Guess we all leave in the morning." Bae smiled.

"What?!" Ricky cried. "No way in hell am I going!"

"Yes you are. We don't know how to use that."

"I can teach you." Ricky defended himself.

"Come on Ricky. Don't you want to get out of here?" Belle asked. "See the world? Escape your little prison?"

"I am perfectly fine in my prison. It's warm and cozy." Ricky headed towards the kitchen area and got out a bottle of wine and began gulping. He offered it to his two visitors who both declined.

"If I promise you that you won't get hurt, will you please come with us?" Belle pleaded. Bae wasn't at all surprised when Ricky stared at her for a few seconds before letting out a heavy sigh and surrendered to her plea. It was part of Belle's nature. She was too good hearted and kind that it was impossible to reject her. After all, Rumplestiltskin of all people fell in love with her. If she had that power over his father, Bae knew that she could get Ricky to do anything.

"Fine! I'll go." Ricky sat on the couch and sulked.

"We will leave in the early morning." Bae said.

"Sounds great." Belle replied.

* * *

Bae placed a couple of blankets on the couch for Belle while he set up an air mattress that Ricky had in his closet and slept on the floor while Ricky slept in his room. It was almost midnight and neither one could get any sleep. There was too much on their mind. If they thought of the past, they ran into pain. If they ran ahead in time, they would hit the unknown. They didn't know what wold happen and both almost wished that they wouldn't know. They didn't want to be disappointed. They didn't want to go back just to find out that they couldn't stop everyone from being gone.

Bae looked towards Belle on the couch and saw her back turned towards him. He remembered the deal she gave him on their trip here and thought it was a good idea to try, and now was his best opportunity. After all, if she was asleep then he wouldn't have to feel vulnerable for opening up. If she was awake and heard him, he might hear more of her story. So he started from the beginning.

"He wasn't always that bad. In fact he was a great father. He was always there for me and did his best to give me the best he could. Even when he became the Dark one, he still gave me rich things. Crowns, swords, anything from gold. But he wouldn't give me what I wanted."

A few ticks of the clock past and he started to think she was asleep.

"What could that have been?"

"No, no. I gave you a bit of my story with him. Now it's your turn. That's the deal."

She turned to him and laughed. He smiled.

"Very well. Where was I?"

"He wanted you as part of the deal." He said.

"Right. It was either me or no deal. Father said no and so did Gaston. But-"

"Wait. Who's Gaston?"

She stared at him for a few seconds. "My ex-fiancé." He blinked a couple of times.

"What?"

"I was engaged to him at the time when Rumple came. When I agreed to the deal, the engagement was off." She smiled.

"You were happy?"

"In a way. I was scared and nervous, believe me. However, I was happy at my bravery. When your father made the deal, I remember what my mother once taught me. 'Do the brave thing and bravery will follow.' So, ignoring my father and Gaston, I agreed to the Dark One's terms." Belle explained.

"What were they?"

"I was to be his caretaker for his rather larger estate. His maid."

"That doesn't sound too bad."

"Forever." She said.

"Oh." Bae frowned. "So did you not like Gaston or something?" He asked looking up to her from the floor.

She smiled. "Goodnight Neal." She laid back down and turned around and went to sleep.

"Dammit." Neal quietly spoke in a sarcastic tone. She laughed.

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**Family visiting for two weeks. I know you have been waiting so here it is. Will upload the next chapter for BB soon. Hopefully tomorrow if I feel up to it. Just got my wisdom teeth out today and been sleeping all day. If you review, I will upload faster. :) :) :) :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Morning came quickly and although Bae and Belle were glad, Ricky wasn't really a morning person. They are got up around six and got ready, gathered supplies, ate what little food Ricky had, and they were all set. With one exception.

"Come one Ricky." Bae said, staring at his friend whose head was laid on the kitchen table. Clearly, he didn't want to go.

"I change my mind."

"You can't." Belle said. "Please, we need you."

"Can't I just show you how to use it and you guys go one your merry way?" He whined.

"No. Since you've been in the past before, you are the best and only person we have to help us change ours. Please. I promised you we wouldn't let anything happen to you and that way, you can get out of here and see the world again." Belle explained, smiling.

Ricky stared at her with a most confused expression. As was Baelfire.

"What makes you think I've been in the past before?" Ricky asked her. Belle smiled.

"I was thinking last night, when I mentioned that I read many books on time travel and that no one had succeeded before, you said that you wanted to keep it that way. I didn't know what you meant by that yesterday but I figured out that it meant that you wanted people to believe it was impossible, even though you know how to." She was beaming.

Everyone has their own vices and little tricks against the world. Hers was the silent joy she received when she saw the dumbfounded expressions on peoples faces when she caught them in a lie, found their secrets, or gave them a piece of her mind. Just as she did with Regina and Hook for all that they did to her, but her favorite was always Rumple.

"Damn." Ricky said, even though he was smiling. "How did she do that?" He asked Bae.

Bae laughed, "It's one of her powers. I think that's how she tricked dad into loving her." He was happy that he was across the room so he could have time to run if she decided to walk over to him and slap him for his little joke.

"I didn't trick him." Luckily for him, his father's lover had a neat since of humor.

"We need to go so come on Ricky. I want to go buy some food and definitely some new clothes. I think we could all use it."

"Fine. Let's go." Knowing he was defeated by the clever woman and his troubled friend, Ricky stood up and grabbed the last supplies for the trip before following the two out of his home, and possibly for the last time.

* * *

They were able to find a cheap store that sold quality clothes. They found what they wanted and after they bought their new outfits, they used the store to change clothes. They found three changing stalls next to each other, neither gender specific, and took them. While they were changing, Ricky asked Bae and Belle what the town would be like when they arrived in Storybrooke. Bae wasn't sure if he got more stupid since he last saw his friend or if Ricky just didn't understand the pain the subject might bring to them, especially Belle, not that they could avoid the subject either.

"Uh, don't know." Bae said, putting on his new jeans. If there was one thing he didn't miss about the Enchanted Forest, it was the clothes.

"What do you mean you don't know."

"Well, does it really matter? I don't think we're going to be there long since we're, you know."

"I meant what is it going to be like when we go back in, you know." Ricky stated next to Bae's stall as he changed in his own clothes.

"Bae?" Belle asked.

"Yeah?"

"I just realized something?"

"What?"

They both stepped out of the stalls and Bae saw her in a jeans, boots, a lace shirt over a cami, and a jacket to go over. What caught his attention wasn't the clothes but the look of guilt in her eyes.

"What's wrong Belle?"

"I don't think the town is still there." She never hated herself more than she did now. As she was changing and Ricky asked about the town, she thought back over the events, trying to avoid a few scenes. The town was created with the curse and when Regina ended the curse and sent them all, mostly all, back to the forest, it was only logical that the town would disappear from this world. She hated herself for not seeing it earlier but she knew that she shouldn't blame herself. The whole time her and Bae arrived here, the pain was preventing her from really thinking too much about everything. She didn't care if she was suppose to be smart, she was concentration on not falling down or running again.

"Crap." She heard Bae quietly whisper. Apparently he figure it out she thought and she wasn't really surprised. He was his father's son, of course he would inherit some smart genes.

"What now?" Belle asked.

"I really don't know. Ricky? What do you think?"

They turned around to see the paranoid man stepping out of the changing stall. When they saw him, Belle covered her mouth and turned around to try and be a little polite about her reaction, whereas Bae just let it all out. It was the first time since yesterday that they laughed and it actually felt nice, even if they were being a little mean.

"What? What's so funny?"

"Uh, Ricky, what are you wearing?"

Ricky looked down at his choice of clothes. He was wearing line green jacket with a white wife-beater shirt underneath and black leather pants.

"What? I think it looks nice."

"Okay, you've been cooped up in that little hole for a while now so lets help you out. I'm going to go find you some more decent clothes and we're going to try this again." Bae smiled.

Ricky hung his head in shame while Belle gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, still smiling but laughing as much now.

* * *

After buying Ricky some better clothes, they went to Denny's for breakfast. They made sure they were giving a table in the back corner, further away from people so they could talk about magic and curses in private without too many people eavesdropping.

"We should still go and look. Just in case it's still there." Belle suggested.

"But it can't still be there."

"If what you said was right Belle, Bae's right. If it was created with the curse and the curse was gone, so is the town. I'm sorry." Ricky explained.

"So what do we do now?" Bae asked.

"Well, we are all smart. Surely we can figure something out." Belle encouraged.

"Yes, because a man who has lived his last many years in paranoia and a man and woman who are currently deep in distraught and chose to laugh at their friend for his choice of clothing just for a little relief, can figure anything out."

Neither Bae nor Belle enjoyed his sarcasm.

"Sorry." He apologized.

"May I get you some more ice tea?" A waitress asked Belle.

"Yes please." She smiled.

"Maybe we should just buy a giant thing of ice tea to go, right Belle?" Bae asked, happy to see her smile even a little. He apparently also inherited his father's humor. Despite how it made her smile, it also made her remember. _It makes me forget. I guess it worked._

"Do you have an idea where Emma might be right now?" Ricky asked.

"No. She won't talk to me."

"Do we necessarily have to been in the town to go back?" Belle asked.

"Well considering the town's special traits, yes." Their smiles went away. If the town wasn't there for them to go back in time and their other option wouldn't talk to them, they almost lost hope. Until Bae found it again.

"We're going to find Emma." He smiled.

"But I thought-" Ricky started.

"I don't really care. There's nothing she could be doing that's more important than getting back to her family, even if she doesn't remember them. Besides, if she won't help us, I know a boy with a true believing heart that will." He said. Belle smiled.

* * *

Aaron and Santo stood in front of a metal door in a dark alley. The door was locked but neither bothered to try and open it. They knew that they weren't in there anymore. Not even the boy's friend. But they were close.

"They're moving." Aaron stated.

"Yes. Now let's close in on them and watch them." They turned and walked back into the busy crowd. Santo thought about their mission and smiled. He couldn't wait.

* * *

**What is up with Santo?**

**So if you need to go back and review the story, be my guess. I'm happy to update this one and get back into the story because when I re-read it to remember what I wrote, lol, I decided that this is my favorite of all the stories I've written. I'm sorry for the long delays on the updates or no updates for some stories. School has started for me and since it's my very last semester of college, I really have to make sure I pass all my classes because if I have to repeat another, I might kill myself and you will never know the rest of the story. So if you want to know what happens with Bae and Belle, or the vampires, or Amber, or any of my other unfinished stories; please please please be patient. I promise I will finish. :) :) :) :)**

**In the meantime, please review this chapter and let me know what you think. What is Aaron and Santo's mission, what will the trio do now, and can they get Emma or Henry to remember everything when none of them have magic to help?**


	7. Chapter 7

Bae regretted returning the Toyota that they rented. For some reason, he didn't think they would need it after he and Belle arrived in New York city. When they arrived they had gotten a cab but they didn't have enough money to pay a cabdriver to drive them everywhere. So they rented another and since they had Ricky with them now and might have Emma and Henry ride with them later, depending on how that went, they decided to get an SUV the second time.

Luckily there was a cellphone in the bag of many supplies Ricky brought with them. Bae didn't bother to complain to him how much trouble that bag may come in the future because of the lack of thinking he had when he returned the car, he took the time to think that maybe everything in that bag would come in handy in the future, but he did make sure Ricky promised to be responsible for it the whole time.

It actually took him some more persuading, courtesy of Belle, to make him stay with them instead of crawling back into his hole. Despite his whining, he reluctantly agreed on three reasons. One, it was nice to get back out in the sun and as long as he had Bae as a shield in case he got shot at, he could keep his paranoia at bay. Two, despite how he felt about being out and about, he knew that one of his closest, if not only, friends really needed him at this time and he would do anything for his friend. Three, somehow it was very hard to say no to Belle. Despite the company she had with her, Ricky found her to be very smart, sweet, polite, and a joy to have in his presence. She seemed to brighten everything around her. Bae had told him that his father mentioned how she was the light of his life and Ricky had no trouble seeing that.

Using the cellphone Bae called the operator for Emma Swan again and prayed that he would be able to get a few more words in before she hung up on him. They sat on a bench in the park and waited for Bae to give a sign that Emma picked up and was willing to listen.

"Emma! Wait! Don't hang up, please! Your family needs you!" Belle's eyes shot up and stared at Bae as if he lost his mind. Surely he hadn't gotten that trait from his father.

"Please Emma. Just listen to me. I really, really, really, need your help and so does your family-yes you have a family, not just Henry-"

Ricky and Belle stared at him as he gave a long pause. "Yes, I know about Henry. No, I haven't been stalking. Please, if we can just meet up somewhere and talk I can explain everything-please Emma, I know you hate me but you also know that I would never come begging back to you if I had another choice, I have a little pride."

After a few more minutes of Bae saying everything he could to try and convince Emma, Belle felt a wave of relief as she saw her lover's son smile and hang up, look at them and say that Emma agreed to meet up. She had given them a location that was closest to them both, a Red Roof Inn hotel on the other side of New York from where they currently were. The trio left the park, got in the car, and drove off. No one was aware of the two brothers leaning against a tree and watching two men and a woman climb into an SUV.

* * *

With the traffic, it took about an hour for the trio to arrive to the hotel. They got a room for the night and waited for Emma and Henry to arrive. Because of the money pile getting a little shorter, they agreed on one room for the three of them as long as Ricky agreed to sleep on the couch. Bae was actually surprised that there wasn't an argument but he explained how he was use to sleeping on a couch before he found his hole and although he may not have been the cleanest, he was a gentleman and had actually agreed to sleep on the sofa. He believed that no lady should sleep on a couch and his friend needed it more than he did.

Ricky flipped through the channels on the television while Belle flipped through the pages on a book. She took the privilege of buying a book while they shopped for clothes, something to help keep her occupied. She never had a problem getting lost in a book to forget about the world. Until today. By reading the book it brought back memories of the library he gave her in the castle, the library he gave her in the town, how she read about monsters and beasts and learned that they were really men trapped in real life, stories with happy endings. Every page that she turned only made it harder to turn the next. Eventually, she gave up and tossed the book aside on the bed and tried to bring her attention to the television, colorful pictures flashing by since Ricky had trouble finding something good.

Bae came into the room with a bucket of ice, some cups, and drinks. Soda for the men and tea for the woman. Along with some snacks for the night. Ricky was finally able to find a good channel, a movie channel showing Ice Age. Bae was happy for Belle to see it since it was her first time. Apparently, Storybrooke didn't really have much access to the outside world. Sure they had the internet and a bit of cable but that was about the limit. No movie theaters or stores that sold movies considering they didn't have any deliveries from outside of town.

Belle laughed along with Bae and Ricky as she watched Sid run from the rhinos and the three animals have a race on ice. Her favorite character was Manny. She wasn't sure why but she thought it had to do with how he always acted tough on the outside but was really a big softie on the inside, just like him. She had to clench her fists real tight to prevent herself from crying when she watched the baby learn to walk and fall asleep on the mammoth's trunk. She wasn't sure why it plucked at her heartstrings but she figured that almost anything would with the emotional roller coaster she's been one lately.

"So when is Emma and Henry getting here?" Ricky asked.

"Well, she said this was closest but I really think she was just trying to buy some time."

"Do you think she will still come?" Belle asked.

"Actually I do. I know she hates me but I know her, wether it was me mentioning about her family or how I know Henry or whatever, something in her voice was curious. She'll come. We just have to wait."

"How do we get her to remember if we don't have any magic to help?"

"We'll find a way Belle. I promise." He gave her a reassuring smile. She wouldn't tell him that it didn't help.

"You know, I really should buy this movie." Ricky said, breaking her thinking. "Manny is awesome."

"Sid is epic. Every group has an idiot like that. Isn't that right Sid?" Bae asked Ricky, laughing. Belle gave a slight smile as she watched the boys playfully make fun of each other. They seemed to get into a game of wits, seeing who could come up with the best playful insult. Bae was winning by a landslide. He reminded her so much of him.

"Just like Rumple." She quietly whispered.

Ricky and Bae stopped talking. Ricky was confused but Bae stared at Belle. He wasn't sure if his mouth was hanging wide open but he knew it wasn't closed, not with the shock Belle just gave him.

"What?" Belle asked when she noticed Bae starting at her.

"Nothing. It's just-nothing." Bae tried to turn his attention back to the movie, even though it was almost over.

"Bae, what is it?"

He sighed and looked back her. "It's just, that's the first time you said his name since it happened."

Belle looked down and realized he was right. Not even in her mind did she say his name. In fact, she wasn't even aware she said it out loud just now. She was so lost in thought. They remained in a silence for a few seconds before Ricky decided that they were about to have an emotional conversation, one he didn't want to or should, get involved in. He made the excuse of needing more ice and nearly bolted from the room to give them some privacy.

Bae wasn't sure what to say to her. During this whole trip of theirs, he felt that she was just now letting her guard down and realizing that she didn't have to be strong and brave all the time. She leaned back in the bed, resting against the headboard, absentmindedly watching the movie.

He felt that now might be a good time to give more of his story. He wasn't sure were to start so he said the first memory on his mind.

"I remember when he killed our maid-"

Bae never wanted to kick himself to hell and back more than he did now. Not even when he hurt Emma surprisingly. Of all memories he could have started with, he had to choose that one. He didn't even think when he started talking and it was the most important thing he learned in Neverland and he had to try and outwit Pan. He shut his eyes tight hoping that he didn't say what he thought he said out loud. He opened them he saw Belle looking at him as if he really did loose his mind and he agreed that he did.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-I-" He closed his mouth. Clearly he couldn't fix this. "What I meant was-" He sighed. He didn't know what he meant. His mind raced to find some other memory, a good memory to talk about. In fact, that was the deal. To tell her his story with his father before he became the Dark One, right?

"He taught me how to spin?" Bae said, hoping she would be interested in that, not that she would. He knew he wouldn't.

"I'm sorry Bae. I'm just tired."

"I know I'm sorry."

"No it's not your fault, I just-" Belle let out a heavy sigh. She was tired in every way possible. Bae kept his mouth shut and let her sit in silence. He kept thinking on what to say until he found the perfect thing.

"I'm jealous of you."

Belle wasn't sure how many times she had to look at this man as if he had no mind but apparently it was a lot and she didn't think she was done. He was definitely like his father, smart but crazy.

"What?"

"Let me explain." He turned down the tv sound, not really wanting silence but wanting her to hear him well enough. "Do you know of the first time I heard of you?"

She shook her head.

"It was when Cora came and was trying to steal the dagger. Hook had just poisoned dad and he thought he was dying, even though he almost was. Me, Emma, and dad were in the back of the shop and he was laying on the bed. He asked Emma to hand him his phone, that he needed to talk to Belle. I looked at Emma and asked her who Belle was. She told me she was my dad's girlfriend."

Belle watched him for a reaction and not quite sure what hers was to this story of his.

"Obviously I was shocked," they both chuckled. "I really didn't think it was possible, especially after learning about how my mom died. Then, I heard him to talk to you. Me and Emma turned our backs to try and give him some privacy without leaving him alone for Cora to kill. I heard, I listened to what he said to you. I hated it."

Before Belle could visibly show her reaction, he continued.

"I hated that he talked that way to you and not me. I was standing there, listening, and thinking, why? Here I am his son and although he told me that he went through all this trouble with the curse just for the chance to tell me he was sorry and that he loved me, never once in his life did he want to go back to the best version of him for me. I heard how he called you a hero, a beautiful woman who loved an ugly man, a monster, and because of you, not me, he wanted to go back to the man he was before he was the Dark One. Although he didn't say that exactly, I knew it was what he meant."

By now they both had tears in their eyes. Belle closed hers. She remembered the phone call. Although she didn't remember who she was at the time or who he was but a stranger that kissed her in hopes that she would remember, she remembered crying at the words and lighting up when she saw him again after thinking he died. She had the speech memorized in her mind and etched in her heart.

"Emma explained to me later that you had amnesia at the time but I was surprised when I saw you for the first time." They both laughed for different reasons. She laughed at the horrible time she had as Lacey and wished she could change it all and he laughed at her embarrassment.

"I looked at you and thought how can this woman go back to the best version of him? Later, on the ship back home from Neverland, father explained to me everything that happened to you. How Hook shot you, Regina gave you false memories, everything from that. he explained to me who you really were and I was actually glad to see you as that person he described when we returned home. But he never did tell me the story of how you two fell in love. I had a feeling he was ashamed."

Although he said it, Belle could hear the question. Then he began replaying the scene she had been trying to avoid.

"When I heard him say that he loved you, I knew he meant it. Although despite all the time he had told me he was sorry, wished he could change it and take it all back, and that he loved him and I would always be his son, I knew that the only person to ever change him in any way, to make himself want to change was you. I would never be able to save my father, even when we get him back, like you. You may not think it, but you are a hero. It's one thing to fight dragons, shadows, and demonized kids, but it's a whole other level to fight the monster inside the man himself. And to save him."

By the time he was finished, Belle couldn't stop the tears even if she wanted to, and she didn't. For once they were happy tears. She was wondering what he thought of her. What he thought of the woman who was probably a third of his and his father's age and being his father's lover. She wondered if he saw her how many other people saw her. To hear his story of learning who she was and how he felt about her, she couldn't really explain what she was feeling but she knew she was happy.

Bae went to sit next to her and hugged her, letting her cry on his shoulder and not minding how her tears stained his shirt with salt. It wasn't even just her tears but his as well and although he tried to stop them from flowing, he kept failing.

"I think I've learned that you were his True Love so I can never imagine what you are going through, but I can say this. _When_ we bring him back and you two get married, I'm proud to call you my stepmom."

She looked up at him and saw him smile. For the first time since that day, they both felt that no matter what happens from here, they were going to be okay. Even if everything else wasn't.

* * *

**I could not go to sleep until I got this down. I was nearly crying as I wrote this. I have had this conversation that Bae would have with Belle for months. To finally have it down on paper and in this story, I can go to sleep extremely happy. Forget school and the paintings I have to do, I've done my work for the week. Lol. I hope I really captured the emotion of this story and I actually hope that you cried when you read this, but I'll totally be okay if you didn't. I'm not one for peer pressure, lol. As I have said at the end of the last chapter, this is by far my favorite story that I've written, despite what I might write in the past. **

**Please review!**


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